


They shouldn't have been there

by who_seeks_shall_find



Series: Life as I see it [92]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Family, Harassment, Paparazzi, Press and Tabloids, Protective Oliver Queen, post-season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 00:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15897414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/who_seeks_shall_find/pseuds/who_seeks_shall_find
Summary: When Oliver came back from prison, the press started harassing his family even more eagerly than before. Oliver is ready to take actions when paparazzi harass William at school.





	They shouldn't have been there

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of a series about Oliver's imprisonment and a year after it. This drabble takes place after Oliver's imprisonment. He has been out of prison for a day.
> 
> The series will be updated once a day (if it's just possible). It's going to include 122 drabbles about Oliver, Felicity, William and other characters who are involved in their lives. It's going to take approximately four months to finish the series. The drabbles are linked to each other but they're NOT in a CHRONOLOGICAL order. That's why, there may also be gaps or blanks which are filled in later.
> 
> I wish that every character is respected without unnecessary hatred.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

William was sitting in the car on the front seat and Raisa was driving next to him. William tapped his finger on his knee nervously but Raisa grabbed his hand while she kept steering with her other hand. William turned to look at her and she gave him a small smile. Then she returned her attention back to the road and let go of William’s hand.

She asked worriedly: “Are you okay, William?”

“For the hundredth time, I’m fine,” William groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. Raisa raised an eyebrow, admonishing him and William offered her an apologetic smile before he reassured her: “I am. Really.”

She sighed and shook her head slightly before saying: “The press shouldn’t have been there. You should be untouchable at school and everywhere else.”

“They didn’t exactly touch me. My bodyguard took care of that,” William said and Raisa rolled her eyes.

“You know what I mean,” she huffed out.

“Yeah, I do but there’s nothing we can do about it. This is my life now whether I wanted it or not. My new normal is that the press is interested in me and how I react when my dad gets out of prison,” William stated and crossed his arms on his chest.

Raisa wrinkled her nose and she spat out: “It was so insensible. You’re only thirteen years old and you got your father back from prison only yesterday. They should have shown some respect.”

“Respect isn’t their middle name,” William tried to joke but Raisa didn’t even break a smile. William mumbled: “Tough crowd.”

Truth to be told, William was sure Raisa was more upset than he was. He had been prepared for this because Mr. Diggle had given him some advice. They had known the press and tabloids were going to be interested in William and Felicity after Oliver’s release from prison. Nevertheless, he hadn’t thought that reporters would come to the school’s perimeter.

William had had his last class and he had gone to his locker to get a few things before heading home. He had walked outside and he had seen his bodyguard. The guy didn’t normally come inside because William’s friends were scared of him. 

They had been supposed to walk home together. It had been William’s request although normally they drove. William had thought it would have been a good stalling tactic because he didn’t know how to act around his dad now that he was finally back.

It wasn’t like William didn’t want his dad to be back at home. He had waited for Oliver to come to home for six months and finally he was there. He had finally come back to them. First, William had been ecstatic but soon he had thought it through. He had realized how much everything had changed during the past six months and suddenly he had been just nervous. They weren’t the same people anymore as they had been before his dad’s imprisonment. 

Yesterday, William had felt so disconnected from everything. He hadn’t known how to act around his dad. After everything, he was physically there but William had just talked some chit-chat with his dad. William didn’t know what other inmates had done to him or what agent Watson had made him to do. Besides, his dad knew nothing about what had happened to Felicity and William. There were too many unsaid things and unresolved feelings. William could also feel the tension between his dad and Felicity.

After William had stepped outside of the school building, everything had happened so quickly. A big group of reporters had come nowhere and they surrounded had him and his bodyguard in a few seconds. There had been flashlights which had blinded them. The reporters had shouted something loudly but William hadn’t been able to make any distinction what they had been saying. 

William’s bodyguard had had his hands full with everything going on but nobody had actually touched William. Yet, it had been a claustrophobic experience. The reporters weren’t usually that aggressive although they weren’t discreet, either. Oliver’s release from prison had made them more persistent and bolder. 

Eventually, the bodyguard had pushed William back inside. Then William had suggested that they should call Raisa to pick him up. If his dad or Felicity had come, the press would have even crazier. Besides, William wasn’t sure how his parents would react. They both had tendencies to be overprotective. William didn’t want any trouble and he remembered reading something about his dad punching a reporter a long time ago.

The bodyguard had agreed and Raisa had come in fifteen minutes after the phone call. William’s bodyguard had escorted William to the car while the reporters had kept shouting at them. The bodyguard had almost shoved William to the car and slammed the door shut behind him. He had stayed behind to take care of the vultures while Raisa took him back to home.

William turned his head and looked outside of the window. They passed familiar places and buildings as they approach William’s home. The closer they got, the more nervous William got. He already knew that Felicity and his dad were going to be furious like Raisa was. 

William wasn’t sure if he was up to talk to his dad about this. How could he understand? He had left them to deal with the aftermath of his public announcement. He knew nothing about how hard it had been. William had a bitter taste in his mouth and he was actually angry but it wasn’t because of the reporters. His anger was for his dad although William knew he wasn’t exactly fair. Yet, since when emotions were always rational?

William had been blinded by his anger and he hadn’t noticed they were already outside of William’s home building. Raisa parked the car and squeezed William’s shoulder comforting as she said: “Mr. Oliver is waiting for you. I called him before I left to pick you up.”

“Is Felicity there too?” William asked cautiously. He needed Felicity to be his buffer because he couldn’t deal with his dad alone. 

Raisa nodded and she answered: “Yes, she is. She was very worried about you. You should understand this is very serious, William. Paparazzi shouldn’t harass you like that. Something terrible could have happened. What if they had followed our car and there would have been a car crash because of their boldness? What if they had gotten even more aggressive and you would have been physically hurt? You need to take this seriously.”

William frowned. He hadn’t thought of that possibility. Suddenly, he felt a bit ashamed and he blushed before saying: “You’re right, Raisa. I’ll be take it more seriously from now on.”

“Good boy,” Raisa said and climbed off the car. William followed her reluctantly. He still didn’t want to face his dad.

Raisa unlocked the front door and let William inside. As soon as William had set his foot inside the apartment, Felicity crashed her body against William’s. William stumbled a few steps backwards but luckily, they were able to avoid falling down. Felicity wrapped her arms around William’s neck tightly. Raisa closed the front door and vanished discreetly.

“Are you okay?” Felicity exclaimed as she ran her hands all over William's body to make sure he was actually fine.

William patted Felicity on the back. Then he said: “I’m fine. Nothing new under the sun. We knew they were going to be more interested in us now that dad is back at home.”

William raised his head and he could see his dad frowning. There were a few steps between them and it seemed like his dad was torn apart. Obviously, he wanted to come to his family but he didn’t know if it was the right move to do. That was the moment when William understood how hard the mending of their relationships was going to be for all of them.

Felicity let go of William but she kept her hand on his forearm. Oliver rubbed his fingers together nervously as he asked: “Are you sure you’re okay, buddy?”

“I’m okay, dad,” William said but he wanted to avoid his dad’s gaze. For some reason, he couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Paparazzi shouldn’t have been there. They were in the school perimeter,” his dad growled and rubbed his face with his hands.

“No, they shouldn’t have been there,” Felicity agreed angrily.

William wanted to roll his eyes at them but after Raisa’s words, William wasn’t sure if it was wise. Maybe he didn’t take this seriously enough. Of course, William hated being followed and he hated it when people gossiped about their personal lives. Their lives weren’t anyone else’s business. Yet, he had thought it was just his new normal and he had to get used to it.

Oliver turned his back to William and Felicity and he was facing a blank wall. Suddenly, he hit the wall with his fist and William winced. He hadn’t expected that. Felicity asked cautiously: “Oliver?”

Oliver shook his head but he didn’t turn. Then he pressed his hands on his face. He mumbled against his palms: “They came close to my son. I should have protected my family. They came near him because of the choices I have made.”

Felicity went next to Oliver and pressed her hands on his cheeks. She looked at him over her eyeglasses as she said: “Oliver. It’s going to be okay. Those paparazzi are going to be an example. They’ll pay for their actions. They won’t threaten William’s safety anymore. This isn’t easy for any of us. You need to calm down.”

As William watched his dad and Felicity’s interaction, he couldn’t help but think how desperate they all were. They wanted to make this work. They wanted to make their family work but they didn’t know how. It seemed to be especially hard for his dad who blamed himself for everything that happened to them. Although William was angry with his dad, he felt a bit bad for him, too. 

Before Oliver had been released, Felicity had warned William about the long road they had ahead of them. Back then William hadn’t understood what she had meant. Now his heart clenched painfully because he finally understood what she had been talking about.

**Author's Note:**

> Update for tomorrow:  
> Sometimes bribery and making your son feel guilty are needed to keep him at home. Oliver and Felicity want to spend time with their son although William has other plans.


End file.
